The National Park College Board of Trustees appraised the status of student health, safety and security on campus in its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, as a newly-formed committee presented a holistic approach to achieving the goal.
Kelli Embry, NPC vice president for administration, introduced the campus health, safety and security team, noting the priority in both physical and mental wellness on campus. She said during the integrated budget process this past year, which includes the school's strategic plan, they realized the need for a clearer focus on health, safety and security.
The campus operations department was formed, with Brad Hopper taking on the role of associate vice president for campus operations and Jessica Ellis serving as health and safety program manager.
Embry noted NPC behavioral intervention specialist and Title IX coordinator, Susan Millerd, will also play an integral role and a dedicated salary has been approved for a full-time nurse -- which the college is currently actively recruiting.
"The health, safety and security of our students and employees is obviously a very serious matter," NPC President John Hogan said in the meeting. "We remain committed to providing a safe learning and living environment. This is fundamental to our mission of student success. We will work to continuously improve the way we deliver services to our students."
The risk management group "means that we all play a role and that we're clarifying what those roles are in order to keep our faculty and staff and students safe," he said.
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Hopper stressed a proactive approach in the college's preparedness, noting the team's desire to further improve health, safety and security measures.
"We've got a lot of policies and procedures in place, but we're going to strive to look at each one as an ongoing, continuous process. ... They're good now but we can always be better," he said.
Garland County sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Navra currently serves as the school resource officer on campus and the college also contracts with Gardaworld Security Company to provide 24-hour security protection on campus.
He said the team has already begun working, although they are not official until July 1, and noted they have "branched out" to Garland County Under Sheriff Jason Lawrence and Hot Springs Police Chief Chris Chapmond.
"We've had a relationship with them before and we've had training with them before," he said. "They've helped us do assessments and just a great couple of guys to work with. And like (Embry) said, we're going to have a full-time health nurse, if you know of anyone that's looking to get off the floor, get into an office and slow down a little bit. It'd be a good opportunity for them."
Ellis, who has a master's degree in public health and recently completed the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Emergency Basics Academy, reported she is reconvening the Risk Management Task Force to comprehensively assess the entire campus for risk and vulnerabilities.
"Some specific things that we have already identified include the need to establish crisis response teams on campus, as well as strengthening our current building captains program," she said. "And we're also providing a variety of training across campus for everybody."
This includes training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first-aid, automated external defibrillators, mental health first-aid, and naloxone use.
"And then lastly, we want to create messaging to educate specific groups of students, faculty and staff of what they need to in an emergency situation so that everybody feels prepared and then they can go to a plan if they don't remember," she said.
Millerd, who is a licensed clinical social worker, said the stigma surrounding mental health has greatly decreased over the past 10 years since she has been at the college and she feels good about the school's mental health program in place.
"Originally, when I came to National Park College, we were concerned about school safety and we were concerned particularly about school shootings and mental health crises and that kind of thing, and I just wanted to mention how mental health services have evolved over the past 10 years," she said.
"Evolved in the sense that the stigma of mental health services has been reduced significantly. One of things I love about working at National Park College is we do not work in isolation. But it's great that we can talk about mental health and depression and anxiety and not feel like we're calling somebody, you know, crazy or dangerous, or whatever."
Millerd also talked about the mental health crisis in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting it is a "real thing" and she was thankful for her intern last year.
Board Chair Forrest Spicher said the steps NPC takes in prioritizing campus health, safety and security are investments in the student experience and helps grow the quality of life on campus and throughout the community.
National Park College Health and Safety Program Manager Jessica Ellis discusses ways to improve the health and safety of students on campus during Wednesday's monthly board meeting. - Photo by Lance Porter of The Sentinel-Record
Susan Millerd, National Park College behavioral intervention specialist and Title IX coordinator, talks about student mental health on campus. - Photo by Lance Porter of The Sentinel-Record